How to prevent weekends from slowing down your fitness

When people are going to the gym and actively looking to get fitter

They are able to diligently stick to their fitness commitments Monday through Thursday.

But sometimes…

Just sometimes…

Friday night leads to some unplanned treats

(By which I mean “7 glasses of wine.”)

Then we wake up feeling tired, lethargic and unable to find motivation. Our plan to get up early and hit the gym falls by the wayside. We skip our planned yoghurt and fruit and go for food that make us feel better

Now let’s start by saying this:

It’s 100% ok to enjoy yourself on your fitness journey.

I am a big advocate of 80/90% of the time ‘be good’ and allow yourself time, space (and calories) of course to enjoy what you enjoy

After all. We want to look and feel good FOR these types of occasions.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying some snacks, treats and the odd McMuffin. And sometimes, you should absolutely take a weekend to live your life if it feels like the right choice for you.

So this is NOT about trying to be “perfect” (whatever that even means…).

It’s about behaving in a way that aligns with your personally chosen goals and values.

Instead of feeling crappy after your weekend…

  • You’ll have more all-day-long energy for the week ahead.
  • You’ll have proactive and clear ‘think’ come Monday morning.
  • You’ll have a boosted immune system.
  • You’ll be in a better mood.
  • You’ll be bursting with pride and confidence for following through on your commitments.

So hooooow do we do this??

Well, as long time email  readers know, my suggestion is not: “Use willpower to grind it out!”

That will only take you so far…

Here are three quick tips for achieving Weekend Fitness Greatness.

(Side note: always know that we are open weekend mornings so why not use 1/2 of your sessions then, book them in and make non-negotiable for YOU weekly. This gives you may more awareness of decision making if you know you have a session booked in with us)

1) Find Hobbies That Support Your Fitness Goals

One challenge for foodies — or in your my case, takeaway dabbler myself — is that good food are one of our favorite things in the world. And that’s cool! Food is more than just fuel. And we’re not looking to take away a true joy in our life. We’re just looking to balance it with other goals.

The heart of the weekend challenge is this: we simply have a bit more free time. Sometimes we just get bored. So find some fun stuff to do

Most of us use weekends to recharge and engage in personal hobbies. By looking into hobbies that will support our fitness, we’re setting ourselves up for success.

The answer here will vary of course. The key point is to find some non-food related fun stuff! Spend some time outside.

  • Go for a long walk or even a hike like we did as a group at the Gym.
  • Look into playing sports with mates.
  • Experiment with a new kind of fitness you haven’t tried before.

And if you want some non-fitness stuff? Weekends are also a great time to do whatever else.

  • Take the time out to plan short and long term (the more you make it habit, the more it helps)
  • Read some books
  • Movie night or box set with your feet up
  • Play games with the kids

2) Set Up Your Environment for Success

Here’s another oft-repeated pro tip that you can utilise to great effect on the weekend:

  • Fill up your kitchen with genuinely enjoyable food choices that serve your fitness goals. Don’t leave to chance and eat fast and convenient frequently as it’s impossible to choose good all of the time.
  • INVERSION: Don’t stock your kitchen full of foods that aren’t in line with your personal goals. In my case if chocolate is in the house, it won’t be there comes Monday. No amount of willpower is getting me over that haha.

If you know Friday night cues you to crack open a bottle of wine or a bag of crisps, you can make it harder on yourself by not stocking the house…or stock LESS (progress) Placing a little friction between you and what you wish to avoid can be super helpful.

3) Plan Your Snacks

Ultimately you’re the one who decides what’s right for you in your life. Believe me, sometimes it’s 100% ok to spontaneously decide you want pizza

However, I also know when we do this consistently, it can be deflating. And it can have an outsize impact on not just our fitness, but our self-esteem. You have to to decide for yourself whether self-care means getting a massage, a workout or booze an food.

But if I’ve found one thing to be true, it’s this: we tend to feel much better about ourselves and enjoy our indulgences more when we’ve planned for it. When we choose the foods that we like to MOST.

To that end, if you know you’re a real foodie, I’m all about spending some of your weekend exploring your passion.

My gentle suggestion is simply this: pick your battles and know that if your goals are what they are…

Then if nothing changes, NOTHING changes. And sometimes you have to be cool with that.

Maybe you like attending the gym Monday-Friday because you feel better for it and you know at weekends you’ve worked hard

That’s fine. It’s just important goals align with 80-90% of your consistent actions.

Every decision you make ultimately moves you closer….or further away. You may have to increase your time horizon to achieve that goal and that’s okay.

And if you do over indulge one evening then just pull it back a little and reign it in the next day.

As the saying in the Gym says:

People do not decide their results, they decide their habits…which decide their results

Follow your plan, but don’t forget to account for fun; whether it be the healthy kind or the indulgent kind. You know you deserve that.

Thanks for reading

And any questions that my apply to you

Just let me know

Dan

About the Author lisa

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